What makes Kalamandalam Gopi special?

At 84, he continues to be Kathakali’s eternal hero, whose unique technique has redefined the art form

Dr. Kalamandalam Gopi, who turns 84 this month, is often described as the ‘Evergreen Hero’. In the world of Kathakali there have been several others with long careers, but why has Gopi Asaan, as he is reverentially called, become the poster boy for the dance form? What makes him so special? The answer may be found in a couple of incidents from his life. When Gopi Asaan returned to the stage in 1992 after a year-long absence and a major surgery, he chose for his comeback at Guruvayur the toughest role perhaps in Kathakali, ignoring the advice of his friends and gurus. Again, 25 years later, during his 80th birthday celebrations at Thrissur, he chose to perform the same physically demanding role — Dharmaputra in Kirmeeravadham — that involves an extremely slow tempo sequence or padinja padam and requires his continuous presence on stage for over three hours. For Gopi Asaan, there are no half measures, and no shortcuts. His guru, the late Padmanabhan Nair, had once remarked that while teaching an intricate rhythmic movement or kalasam, Gopi would do it over and over again till it got ingrained in his psyche.